Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
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distribution <strong>of</strong> P and other elements was determined by scanning XRF analysis <strong>of</strong> polished slabs<br />
and by SEM/EDS analysis <strong>of</strong> polished thin sections.<br />
These analyses revealed interesting relationships between fossils and P. Live-buried fossils and<br />
calcareous concretions formed around such fossils are enriched in P compared to surrounding<br />
silt or mud. This P is associated <strong>with</strong> concentric rings <strong>of</strong> pyrite and/or Mn. Winnowed shell beds<br />
contain visibly recognizable grains <strong>with</strong> far higher P concentrations than those <strong>of</strong> articulated<br />
remains, yet some disarticulated columnals contain similarly high concentrations <strong>of</strong> P only in the<br />
stereom around the lumen.<br />
These observations suggest that obrution <strong>of</strong> macr<strong>of</strong>ossils contributed and/or fixed P in the<br />
sediment, and that P was mobile after deposition. The concordance between P and pyrite or Mn<br />
confirms that Eh gradients influenced precipitation. The fact that visibly-high concentrations <strong>of</strong> P<br />
are limited to disarticulated remains may signify that phosphogenesis progresses over cycles <strong>of</strong><br />
winnowing, but the similarly high concentration <strong>of</strong> P in the lumen regions <strong>of</strong> some disarticulated<br />
columnals hints that the process was initiated in the earliest stages <strong>of</strong> decay when organic-rich<br />
lumenal tissues were still present.<br />
27-3 8:40 AM Babcock, Loren E. [218789]<br />
CARNIVOROUS TRILOBITES: MORPHOLOGIC, ICHNOLOGIC, AND TAPHONOMIC<br />
EVIDENCE<br />
BABCOCK, Loren E., School <strong>of</strong> Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 275 Mendenhall<br />
Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, loren.babcock@geol.lu.se and BRANDT,<br />
Danita S., Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geological</strong> Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI<br />
48824<br />
Mounting evidence from polymerid trilobites and their trace fossils suggests that many, and<br />
perhaps the majority, <strong>of</strong> taxa were active predators or scavengers. Morphologic evidence from<br />
the exoskeleton includes attachment mechanisms allowing active movement <strong>of</strong> the hypostome,<br />
and in some, hypostome morphology (e.g., forked serrated blades capable <strong>of</strong> slicing prey).<br />
Spiny appendages may have assisted in restraining prey.<br />
Numerous Rusophycus-Planolites trace fossil associations representing the interactions<br />
<strong>of</strong> trilobites and ‘worms’ provide clear documentation <strong>of</strong> trilobite attack strategy and prey<br />
manipulation. A large variety <strong>of</strong> Rusophycus predation traces are now known. The trilobites’<br />
incursions into the sediment for purposes <strong>of</strong> feeding are remarkably precise, suggesting that<br />
chemosensory skills may have played a large role in locating prey that was concealed <strong>with</strong>in<br />
sediment.<br />
Fossilized alimentary tracts, preserved through early diagenetic mineralization, provide another<br />
source <strong>of</strong> information about trilobite ‘paleogastronomy,’ the dietary habits <strong>of</strong> trilobites. Numerous<br />
trilobites are now known to preserve digestive tracts, and nearly all have mineralized (not<br />
sediment-filled or sclerite-filled) guts. This implies that the guts were fluid-filled at the time <strong>of</strong> death<br />
and burial, a condition common in extant carnivorous arachnomorph arthropods.<br />
27-4 9:00 AM Brandt, Danita S. [218616]<br />
ICHNOLOGIC EVIDENCE FOR PREDATORY TRILOBITES: HOW LITERALLY CAN WE READ<br />
THE RECORD?<br />
BRANDT, Danita S., Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geological</strong> Sciences, Michigan State University, East<br />
Lansing, MI 48824, brandt@msu.edu<br />
Superimposition <strong>of</strong> trilobite trace fossils (Rusophycus) <strong>with</strong> “worm” burrows (e.g, Paleophycus) is<br />
used to support interpretations <strong>of</strong> trilobite predatory behavior. However, the stratigraphic range <strong>of</strong><br />
these “trilobite hunting burrows” is not entirely coincident <strong>with</strong> the stratigraphic range <strong>of</strong> trilobite<br />
taxa presumed to have been predatory, based on the morphological criterion <strong>of</strong> having had<br />
spinose gnathobases. Trilobites <strong>with</strong> spinose gnathobases reportedly range from the Cambrian<br />
through the Permian; Rusophycus is also known over the same range. Trilobite/worm burrow<br />
associations are relatively rare. Specimens interpreted as showing this predator/prey interaction<br />
have been described from four different stratigraphic localities ranging from the Cambrian to the<br />
Silurian. If trilobites <strong>with</strong> spinose gnathobases were predatory, why are there no trilobite hunting<br />
burrows from post-Silurian strata? If the correlation <strong>of</strong> possession <strong>of</strong> spinose gnathobases <strong>with</strong><br />
a predatory habit is causal, then a literal reading <strong>of</strong> the fossil record <strong>of</strong> trilobite hunting burrows<br />
suggests that our characterization <strong>of</strong> post-Silurian trilobite limbs is incomplete, and that, after the<br />
Silurian, trilobites did not occupy the predator niche. The elimination <strong>of</strong> this trophic option would<br />
have reflected the reduction <strong>of</strong> trilobite diversity through the Mid-to-Late Paleozoic.<br />
27-5 9:20 AM Peteya, Jennifer A. [218506]<br />
DIETARY PREFERENCES OF THE CAMBRIAN TRILOBITE ELRATHIA KINGII: INFERENCES<br />
FROM FOSSILIZED DIGESTIVE TRACTS<br />
PETEYA, Jennifer A. and BABCOCK, Loren E., School <strong>of</strong> Earth Sciences, The Ohio State<br />
University, 275 Mendenhall Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, peteya.2@<br />
osu.edu<br />
Specimens <strong>of</strong> the common trilobite Elrathia kingii from the Wheeler Formation (Cambrian Series<br />
3) <strong>of</strong> western Utah were studied for their digestive tract contents using standard microscopic,<br />
computed tomographic (CT) imaging, and microtomographic (micro-CT) imaging techniques.<br />
Specimens showing fossilized alimentary tracts are complete dorsal exoskeletons retaining the<br />
librigenae, preserved in cone-in-cone calcite concretions. Examined specimens have collapsed<br />
glabellas that approximate the margins <strong>of</strong> the stomach cavity. Remains <strong>of</strong> the digestive system<br />
are outlined by a thin crust <strong>of</strong> pyrite, perhaps reflecting early mineralization <strong>of</strong> a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm associated<br />
<strong>with</strong> decay early in the taphonomic process. Similar pyritic crusts have been observed on the<br />
hypostome and near the exoskeletal margin. A circular stomach is located in the anterior part <strong>of</strong><br />
the glabella, and it is followed by a thin, slightly tapering tube that extends the length <strong>of</strong> the axis.<br />
Neither sediment fill nor macerated sclerites have been found in the gut <strong>of</strong> E. kingii, which tends<br />
to rule out the possibility that this trilobite was either a sediment deposit-feeder or a scleriteingesting<br />
durophagous carnivore. Instead, the presence <strong>of</strong> an open, pyrite-lined gut suggests<br />
a fluid-filled alimentary tract at the time <strong>of</strong> death, and implies a carnivorous feeding strategy<br />
involving separation <strong>of</strong> the skeletal parts <strong>of</strong> prey prior to ingestion.<br />
27-6 9:40 AM Devera, Joseph [218330]<br />
DEATH BY COMMON HOUSEHOLD TOOLS: MECHANICAL ANALOGY AND THE<br />
FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE HYPOSTOME IN GENUS ISOTELUS (DEKAY)<br />
EVIDENCE FROM ISOTELUS IOWENSIS (OWEN)<br />
DEVERA, Joseph, Illinois State <strong>Geological</strong> Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University <strong>of</strong><br />
Illinois, 5776 Coal Drive, Suite 121, Carterville, IL 62918, j-devera@illinois.edu<br />
The forked morphology <strong>of</strong> the hypostome in the Genus Isotelus (DeKay) is analogous to the<br />
common straight claw hammer. The claw portion <strong>of</strong> the hammer is strikingly similar in form and<br />
function to that <strong>of</strong> the isotelid hypostome. Cross-sections <strong>of</strong> both isotelid hypostome and claw<br />
hammer reveal a flat to slightly curved ventral surface and a beveled, dorsal surface on the inner<br />
SESSION NO. 27<br />
side <strong>of</strong> each tine. The notch <strong>of</strong> the fork in the hypostome narrows toward the anterior end <strong>of</strong> the<br />
structure, identical to a claw hammer. This morphology implies a prying function for the isotelid<br />
hypostome. The forked morphology together <strong>with</strong> the partially arched, enrollment habit observed<br />
in Isotelus iowensis(Owen) fossils, suggests a dual prying/digging habit for feeding purposes.<br />
All isotelid cephalons are convex, spade-like and were well adapted for digging in s<strong>of</strong>t, lime-mud<br />
environments where they are typically preserved. This idea supports the predatory habits for<br />
asaphid trilobites proposed by Forety and Owens.<br />
Isotelid species including I. maximus, I. gigas, I. rex and I. iowensis all attain a relatively large<br />
size compared to other trilobites. This relates to food intake that had high nutritional value. A<br />
number <strong>of</strong> specimens <strong>of</strong> I. iowensis have been found in association <strong>with</strong> Chondrites isp. burrows.<br />
In the Maquoketa Shale, a distal tempestite bed containing anoxic mud (now pyritic shale) yields<br />
trilobites “frozen” in time. They appear to have been feeding at the level <strong>of</strong> an abundance <strong>of</strong><br />
Chondrites isp.burrows.<br />
The forked shape <strong>of</strong> the isotelid hypostome was an adaptation for infaunal polychete worm<br />
extraction. The flattened shovel-like cephalon was well adapted for digging into s<strong>of</strong>t sediment.<br />
The morphological fits between common household tools i.e. claw hammer and spade and the<br />
hypostome and cephalon in the Genus Isotelus is remarkable. This strategy made the isotelids<br />
highly successful as predators on and in muddy infaunal environments.<br />
27-7 10:20 AM Drumheller, Stephanie K. [218637]<br />
NO ANIMAL WAS SAFE IN THE TRIASSIC: MULTIPLE PREDATION ATTEMPTS ON A LARGE<br />
(5-6 METER) CARNIVOROUS “RAUISUCHIAN” FROM THE LATE TRIASSIC OF NEW MEXICO<br />
DRUMHELLER, Stephanie K., Department <strong>of</strong> Earth and Planetary Sciences, The University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Tennessee, 306 EPS Building, 1412 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, sdrumhel@utk.edu,<br />
STOCKER, Michelle R., Jackson School <strong>of</strong> Geosciences, The University <strong>of</strong> Texas at Austin,<br />
Austin, TX 78712-0254, and NESBITT, Sterling, Department <strong>of</strong> Geology, Field Museum <strong>of</strong><br />
Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605<br />
Hypotheses <strong>of</strong> past diets and feeding behaviors are informed by important, but rare, direct<br />
evidence <strong>of</strong> trophic interactions in the fossil record (e.g. bite marks). We present evidence <strong>of</strong><br />
three independent predation events on a single femur from a large loricatan (=”rauisuchian”)<br />
from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation (~210 MYA). The predation events consist <strong>of</strong> 1) at<br />
least one failed predation attempt by a large phytosaur; 2) a feeding event by a large predator<br />
at or soon after death; and 3) a second possible feeding event peri- or postmortem. Evidence<br />
<strong>of</strong> the first attack is in the form <strong>of</strong> partially healed punctures and a large embedded tooth crown<br />
(>5 cm in length based on CT data) in the proximolateral portion <strong>of</strong> the femur. We identify the<br />
tooth as phytosaurian based on a rounded cross section and a straight long axis. Reaction tissue<br />
in the punctures and surrounding the tooth indicates that the loricatan survived those injuries.<br />
The second event is represented by a group <strong>of</strong> bite marks on opposing sides <strong>of</strong> the femur; all<br />
are roughly 8 by 5 mm in size and fusiform, indicating that the trace maker’s teeth were laterally<br />
compressed and had carinae that possibly were serrated. The spacing and morphology <strong>of</strong> these<br />
marks indicates that the actor was a large predator, but the taxonomic identification is unclear.<br />
These bite marks exhibit obvious impact trauma <strong>with</strong> no reaction tissue, indicating that the attack<br />
occurred at or near time-<strong>of</strong>-death. The third event consists <strong>of</strong> scores present near midshaft that<br />
are oriented roughly perpendicular to the long axis <strong>of</strong> the femur. No reaction tissue is present,<br />
which suggests that this event also occurred at or after time-<strong>of</strong>-death. This specimen provides<br />
a rare opportunity to interpret ancient feeding and predation by multiple actors on a single prey<br />
animal over a period <strong>of</strong> the life and death history <strong>of</strong> that individual. Our analysis <strong>of</strong> this specimen<br />
indicates 1) loricatans had the potential to survive major predation attacks and 2) seemingly<br />
top predators clearly were targeted by other members <strong>of</strong> the fauna. Though the Late Triassic<br />
loricatans <strong>of</strong>ten are interpreted as top terrestrial predators in part because <strong>of</strong> their large size<br />
(most loricatans are ~3-6 m total length), the attacks recorded by this specimen demonstrate that<br />
size alone should not be the sole factor in determining trophic status.<br />
27-8 10:40 AM Peterson, Joseph E. [218101]<br />
FLUVIAL TRANSPORT POTENTIAL OF ARCHOSAUR TEETH: A PRELIMINARY<br />
INVESTIGATION IN SHED TOOTH TAPHONOMY<br />
PETERSON, Joseph E. and COENEN, Jason, Department <strong>of</strong> Geology, University <strong>of</strong><br />
Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Harrington Hall 211, Oshkosh, WI 54901, petersoj@uwosh.edu<br />
The rate <strong>of</strong> tooth replacement in dinosaurs has been well-studied as a part <strong>of</strong> paleobiology. The<br />
tooth replacement rates for sauropods have been determined to be very rapid, replacing teeth in<br />
as little as 30 days. Theropods have a considerably lower replacement rate, replacing teeth over<br />
a nine-month span. In the Late Jurassic Morrison formation the shed teeth <strong>of</strong> large theropods<br />
such as Allosaurus are more abundant than the shed teeth <strong>of</strong> sauropods. However, this is at odds<br />
<strong>with</strong> the relatively higher abundance <strong>of</strong> sauropod skeletal remains. While this disparity may be<br />
due to ecological or behavioral influences, such as predator/prey ratios or migratory strategies,<br />
taphonomic processes, such as fluvial transport potential, may also be influential. To investigate<br />
taphonomic influences on shed tooth abundances, an experiment was designed to test the<br />
fluvial transport potential <strong>of</strong> shed theropod and sauropod teeth. Teeth <strong>of</strong> Alligator mississipiensis<br />
were utilized to model dinosaur teeth; shed crowns <strong>of</strong> A. mississippiensis represented conicalshaped<br />
theropod teeth, and full teeth were used to model peg-shaped teeth <strong>of</strong> diplodocids. Teeth<br />
were placed in a recirculating flume parallel to flow and measured for entrainment velocity and<br />
relative transport distance prior to burial. Preliminary results show a significant difference in the<br />
entrainment velocities <strong>of</strong> shed theropod and diplodocid teeth. Sauropod teeth exhibit greater<br />
relative transport distances <strong>with</strong> increases in flow velocity, while theropod teeth show variable<br />
relative transport distances and entrainment velocities; theropod teeth are transported farthest<br />
at a relatively low velocity (14.2 cm/sec). Based on these preliminary data, distinct differences<br />
are expected in the preservation conditions and abundances <strong>of</strong> shed teeth; sauropod teeth are<br />
expected to be more abundant in the fossil record, and perhaps found as lag clusters while<br />
theropod teeth are expected to be in lower relative abundance and exhibit abrasion and fracturing<br />
due to prolonged transport. Further investigations are planned to expand flume experiments<br />
<strong>with</strong> resin casts <strong>of</strong> larger teeth <strong>of</strong> Allosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus to more accurately<br />
model tooth shape.<br />
27-9 11:00 AM Noto, Christopher [218496]<br />
PREDATORY BEHAVIOR OF A GIANT CROCODYLIFORM FROM THE WOODBINE<br />
FORMATION (CENOMANIAN) OF TEXAS<br />
NOTO, Christopher, Biological Sciences, University <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood<br />
Rd, PO Box 2000, Kenosha, WI 53141, noto@uwp.edu, MAIN, Derek J., Earth and<br />
Environmental Science, University <strong>of</strong> Texas at Arlington, Box 19049, 500 Yates St, Arlington,<br />
TX 76019, DRUMHELLER, Stephanie K., Department <strong>of</strong> Geoscience, The University <strong>of</strong><br />
Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, and KING, Lorin, Dept. <strong>of</strong> Science, Math and Physical Education,<br />
Western Nebraska Community College, 1601 E. 27th Street, Scottsbluff, NE 69361<br />
There is little direct evidence <strong>of</strong> feeding behavior in Mesozoic crocodyliforms. Here we report<br />
the remains <strong>of</strong> a possible crocodyliform feeding ground from the Cretaceous <strong>of</strong> Texas. The fossil<br />
2013 GSA North-Central Section Meeting 59